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December 4, 2007 at 12:07:25

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How Misguided Spirituality is Informing the Religious Right + Fascist Politics

by Kathryn Smith Page 1 of 4 page(s)

www.opednews.com

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By telling you a little piece of my personal story, I hope to shed light on the misguided teachings which I believe inform the politics of the religious right. And in so doing, based on personal experiences while living next door to the Iron Curtain, I also hope to shed light on how fascism operates. Especially, where some religious misconceptions may be influential, and used as a leveraging tool. And the parallels to authoritarian government practices, as legislated into post-911 law, are staggering.

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"A people may prefer a free government, but if, from indolence, or carelessness, or cowardice, or want of public spirit, they are unequal to the exertions necessary for preserving it; if they will not fight for it when it is directly attacked; if they can be deluded by the artifices used to cheat them out of it; if by momentary discouragement, or temporary panic, or a fit of enthusiasm for an individual, they can be induced to lay their liberties at the feet even of a great man, or trust him with powers which enable him to subvert their institutions; in all these cases they are more or less unfit for liberty: and though it may be for their good to have had it even for a short time, they are unlikely long to enjoy it." -- John Stuart Mill, Representative Government, 1861

A very dear friend of mine and I went to college together. At that time, a very pretty woman with smarts and humor but nervousness too, she surprised us all and entered the Dominican convent.

She left the convent and got married seven years later, completely transformed. Far from nervous and skittery as before, she was and is still so serene, I almost have never seen anything like it. One can feel the beautifully settled and centered vibe around her, as if one could literally touch peace in her aura.

What was responsible for that dramatic shift? Spiritual guidance.

And here comes the surprise. My very dear friend told me that at this Catholic convent, the spiritual teachings had nothing to do with God, the light, purity, la-la….instead, it had everything to do with making peace with one’s own shadow. IE., one’s dark side.

The irony is that having fully embraced, studied and come to understand her dark side, this skittery but smart sweetheart of a person had transformed into a half-angel, who also happens to be human with realities and darkness of her own. Just like all of us. And it was amazing to see the transformation. That was about twenty years ago, yet the change still remains remarkable to me. And a lesson. A very interesting one!

Contrast this with “religious” teachings which emphasize the light, in God and in people. So-called “morality” ends up being a finger-pointing, head-shaking, consternation-stirring sermon. All because those religious seekers have forgotten one thing: They too have a shadow side, just like all the rest of us. And the mask they wear to hide from the painful reality of who they really are, and who we all are as humans, ends up fueling their own darkness instead of transmuting it. All in the spirit of “goodness” and “light” and “God”, judgment becomes the offshoot.

And judgment, of course, always results in polarizing.

Sound familiar? Sound a bit like what our country is doing right now?

Denial of the shadow also would seem to explain why the religious right vociferously trumpets their adamantly pro-life position, while simultaneously comprising many of the most pro-war individuals in the country. How ironic is that?

And yet, it all makes sense. When we deny our darkness and suppress it from our own awareness, we don’t take responsibility for it. And that does not make us better human beings. Far from it. Denial actually lets the darkness within run rampant. Festering in its dark corners, the darkness breeds like a mold spore, whose only cure is sunshine and the light of truth. It is only when we face the reality of who we are, that we can take responsibility for it.

This starkly contrasts with the “morality” which points fingers at others, all in the name of “goodness“ and “Love“ and all those “Christian“ things. In fact, perhaps it is the over-exposure to the light which itself creates the judgment? “We can be blinded by the light” said a minister friend of mine.

What created the deep peacefulness in my friend’s psyche was not merely “facing” her shadow and taking responsibility for it, but especially studying and practicing compassionate understanding of that dark side. Without indulging it, of course. That very act of understanding seemed to transmute it. And the word “transmute” was one which she referred to often, saying that spiritual direction offers us ways to actually transform our shadow. Which only happens when we stop denying it, while rigorously practicing self-understanding, and also cultivating attitudes which transform that shadow. (IE gratitude can transform self-pity, etc)….

My x-Dominican nun friend and I also had interesting talks about sin and guilt. As a Latin-Greek linguist and biblical scholar, she said that the Bible has been mistranslated. And this, of course, would be “shot down” instantly by the religious right.

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4 comments

I thought it time for a revision to the biography. Where I seem to have "disturbed" a fair number of posters here at OEN to the point they've asked me not to write about their comments, feel free to call me "troll", "shill", "neo-con lapdog", "jack-booted thug", or "bad hat Harry". They've all been applied to me over the past year because I have challenged people to think beyond the emotions of an issue and review all the available data – not just the cherry-picked stuff. Of course, this appr...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Tom MurphyI thought it time for a revision to the biography. Where I seem to have "disturbed" a fair number of posters here at OEN to the point they've asked me not to write about their comments, feel free to call me "troll", "shill", "neo-con lapdog", "jack-booted thug", or "bad hat Harry". They've all been applied to me over the past year because I have challenged people to think beyond the emotions of an issue and review all the available data – not just the cherry-picked stuff. Of course, this appr...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Grant me the serenity!

This is a lengthy article that appears to "gloss over" the friend's far more important transformation. While I know how the friend described it as "making peace with your dark side", this implies that there is a light side to offer as an alternative. If all we had to manage was the dark, then the world would be nothing but shades of black – which in essence is black.

Clearly then, there is a logical necessity for "God, the light, purity, la-la".

What the friend, though, is describing is a typical 12-step program that teaches one how to deal with life's experience on life's terms. A big part of any 12-step program is admitting that you're powerless over a particular "thing" and then turning your will over to a Higher Power, as you understand it to be. Therefore, a 12-step program is very much about the spiritual, as the friend credited the reason for her own transformation – spiritual guidance.

Where the article digresses is that it lays claim to another person's moral inventory when it should be focused on it own. And another person's inventory is a region that we have no basis to claim – let alone control.

As part of a 12-step program, there's usually two guiding principles. One – always check your motives for why you are acting and/or responding in a particular manner (i.e., have I addressed legitimately "my side of the street" on the issue?), and two – emphasize your acceptance of an issue over your expectation(s) associated with the issue. You can only control that which you have control over, which is limited (fortunately for some and I think unfortunately for the great majority) to yourself.

Once you practice these two principles, the rest is cream cheese. The Serenity Prayer summarizes this approach nicely:

"God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference."

Now, if you take this approach and apply it to the article and its assertions – many that they are (i.e., one page spiritual, four pages condemnation), the article appears to be just as guilty as the religious people it castigates.

Who then, if any, is the better? I think it's the friend; she seems to "get" it.

by Tom Murphy (3 articles, 4 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 1849 comments) on Tuesday, December 4, 2007 at 3:35:42 PM

Voluntarily retired California county elected official.
Shirley BianchiVoluntarily retired California county elected official.

Spirituality

The spirituality that Ms. Smith is referring to derives from the Enneagram, which posits that there are 9 ways in which human beings learn to comprehend the world around them when they are children. As the people mature, these nine points become firmer, and contain both light and dark. There are many excellent books explaining the Enneagram, so it would be pointless to attempt to do so in a limited space. But for every dark side in a persons psche, there is also a light side. Let me use for example a person who appears as a Five. This person can disassociate from the turmoil that is going on around them and make objective, rather than purely emotional, judgements. That is the 'light' side. The dark side is that a Five doesn't want to become a 'part of the main', preferring to remain in the background, and not 'become involved' in others lives or activities. This is, of course, an extreme oversimplification. Further, one cannot tell another what that person's position is on the Enneagam. Every person must discern this for him or herself.

Fundamentalism of any religion or political position, if carried to the extreme, is giving into the of the Dark Side. 'It was interesting that Dick Cheney used the term when he explained how we need to fight terrorism - by going to the dark side. Rather frightening, to say the least.

by Shirley Bianchi (10 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 97 comments) on Tuesday, December 4, 2007 at 4:16:19 PM

This quote summarizes the nature of my concerns and the content of personal experiences which stir my activism:

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement on human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves". --Paul Revere, House of Commons
Kathryn SmithThis quote summarizes the nature of my concerns and the content of personal experiences which stir my activism:

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement on human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves". --Paul Revere, House of Commons

Crediting or discrediting the progressive movement:

Hello friends

Having written about how compassion can probably soften the vicious retaliation from our power-greedy politicians to our truth-telling , and that heart-level connections will always trump written laws, I must say that because I hate fakeness and two-facedness more than anything in this world, i don't pretend to have it mastered, myself. I confess that I am indeed so angry and so stirred by what is going on politically, that I know for a fact that I am not emotionally capable of being cool in my verbal approach where post911 politics and legislation are concerned. And that is a fact which I work with ,not through, at this point: That's why I write instead of speak. So to all others who are similarly emotionally affected, I don't blame them one bit.

That said, and based on experience, I think it is vitally important to the credibility of the progressive movement that we learn how to be compassionate and soft in our approach, even when the things we are talking about are heinous. Teddy Roosevelt said it very well: "Speak softly but carry a big stick".

So perhaps buying a copy of Thom Hartman's "Cracking the Code" would be the most strategically important thing any of us on this forum can do, for the sake of the causes at stake. America as the Land of the Free has all but gone down the tubes, and the rescue operation must be very skilfully done if there is any hope of it being successful.

I am concerned that many of our rude postings and emotional rants will only discredit our movement, thereby undermining the cause. And with all that is at stake, we simply can't afford to let that happen.

In this Season of Giving I hope that readers on this forum will help OpEdNews, a treasured resource in fighting the war for America as the Land of the Free, by purchasing a copy of Cracking the Code. Let's kill two birds with one stone: Help OpEdNews to continue its vitally important work while also furthering the pivotally important advancement of our own cause.

THank you all for all you do and for your caring and concern!

by Kathryn Smith (105 articles, 2 quicklinks, 42 diaries, 479 comments) on Tuesday, December 4, 2007 at 3:41:04 PM

An oversight which I wish to qualify:

Hello friends

YOu are right to point out to me something which I missed in this article: The reality of the light in each person.

That was an oversight but not an intended aim of this article. Sorry for any implied under-estimating of our human race:

In fact, I believe not just with my head, but truly with my gut, that every one of us is light in our cores. We all are motivated by truth and love. It is the harsh realities of life, and the tweaked expressions of that love and that truth, which end up being dark, ie going haywire.

I believe every one of us is born beautiful from within, and that light is available from within at all times. Things we do and beliefs we form may mask that light from ourselves, the world, or both. But since it is who we are, at our core, it also is always there, even if covered or dormant in some people.

And I agree that light is an important matter to emphasize, especially when transmuting the dark. It is only when that light goes out of balance, ie we deny our shadow and/or judge it, that at that point it becomes "la-la" and can result in the "morality" we see running roughshod over our country, at this point.

THank you for pointing out this oversight, and for your comments. And please know that I agree with you. Best wishes, Kathryn

by Kathryn Smith (105 articles, 2 quicklinks, 42 diaries, 479 comments) on Wednesday, December 5, 2007 at 12:57:07 AM